1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to tetrahydrofuran, and in particular, relates to the manufacture of tetrahydrofuran from 1,4-dihalobutane.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Tetrahydrofuran is a cyclic ether finding wide and substantial use as a solvent for natural and synthetic resins, especially the vinyl resins, in coatings, adhesives, printing inks, as a chemical intermediate and as a monomer. Tetrahydrofuran has been prepared via the catalytic hydrogenation of furan, from the reaction of acetylene and formaldehyde and from the dehydrocyclization of 1,4-butanediol or dehydrochlorocyclization of 4-chloro-1-butanol. The last mentioned cyclization processes are of particular interest since they employ as starting materials aliphatic derivatives which are relatively abundant and inexpensive (viz., U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,950,232; 3,467,679; 3,726,905; 4,002,646; and, 4,093,633). Heretofore, no attempt has been made to utilize the 1,4-dihalobutanes as starting materials for conversion to tetrahydrofuran since these compounds would first have to be converted to a 4-chloro-1-butanol or 1,4-butanediol preparative to the cyclization to the cyclic ether.